With the state set to release findings today from an emergency review of Detroit's finances, some City Council members said Monday that they recognize the city's troubles but worry deeper state intervention would shut out the voices of residents weary from diminished public services and a seemingly endless fiscal mess.

If, as widely anticipated, the city's finances lead Gov. Rick Snyder to appoint an emergency financial manager, that official would come into city government with a broad mandate to slash expenses, renegotiate workers' pay and benefits, consolidate or eliminate departments, sell assets and cut or eliminate elected officials' pay.

"The citizens voted for a council -- whether it's this council or any council, residents voted -- and they deserve to have representatives who speak on their behalf," Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins said.

Councilman Andre Spivey said that, no matter what happens, "there needs to be a presence here of City Council members and the mayor. The citizens need to be communicated to. Can an (emergency manager) do that by him or herself? We don't know."

Much remained unknown Monday as Snyder's office prepared to release the state-appointed review team's report on Detroit. The six-member team has combed through records since late last year to grasp just how deep the city's financial troubles go.

The report is expected to paint a harsh picture of insolvency, despite more than 10 months of state oversight under which Detroit's accumulated deficit, now pegged at $326 million, continued to grow.

City officials said Monday that they did not anticipate seeing the information until sometime today. The extent of Detroit's fiscal failure is so well-documented -- long-term bond debt and retiree pension and health obligations exceed $12 billion as the population and tax revenues are plummeting -- that a litany of numbers detailing the crisis won't be unexpected or surprising.

What's more crucial is the review team's conclusion on whether city leaders can reverse course on their own. Two people familiar with the report told the Free Press last week that the review team concluded that Detroit's debts are too insurmountable, and the roadblocks to restructuring city government too great for Mayor Dave Bing and the council to handle on their own.

Snyder's office said no details of the report would be released before today. Representatives said Snyder will review the report before deciding whether to appoint an emergency financial manager but declined further comment.

Bing's office also hasn't seen the report and wouldn't speculate on what could come next.

By law, the review team doesn't recommend actions to take; appointing a financial manager is Snyder's decision, one he was keeping under wraps despite widespread speculation about possible candidates for the job.

Council members forged ahead Monday, interviewing candidates for the board of the new public lighting authority, which the Legislature approved in December to take control of Detroit's streetlights. As many as half of the lights don't work.

Spivey said he and colleagues still have responsibilities to take care of, even as they recognize the severity of the city's problems.

"I've heard from citizens who say, 'Let's bring an EM in, let's get it over with and move forward,' " Spivey said. "The governor has to decide what's best for the state as a whole. Your largest city cannot continue to go down the road it's going."

But unanswered questions left some with doubts about the benefits of appointing an emergency financial manager.

"I can't speak on whether it's a good step or not because we have no idea who the emergency manager will be or whether or not they'll take steps that are in the best interests of the city," Jenkins said. "I believe any time the democratic process is thwarted, it is not a good step."

Solving long-term debt issues is the key to improving Detroit's finances, Jenkins said, adding that change will not happen quickly.

"If anybody believes the state or an emergency manager can come in here and turn this city around tomorrow, they're sadly mistaken," she said.

One quick fix an emergency financial manager could order is slashing the pay of council members, which ranges from $70,000 to $77,000 a year. Jenkins and other council members said a pay cut is not a concern.

"I didn't take this job for the money. It cost me a couple hundred thousand dollars to run for this job, so I didn't do it for the money," council President Pro Tem Gary Brown said. "I'm not going to worry about my pay being cut. I'm only worried about what's in the best interest of the City of Detroit."

Brown, who declined to speculate on the report because he hadn't seen it, said he is focused on carrying out the consent agreement reached with the state in April, a deal struck with the city after a state review found the city in a financial emergency.

Although he wasn't sure how an emergency financial manager would operate, Brown echoed concerns about citizens losing their voice.

"I didn't run for City Council to be a rubber stamp for an emergency manager," he said. "I came to be a part of a legislative body that's a check and balance to the executive branch."

While some observers say the governor has tried to attract a well-qualified, out-of-state candidate with few ties to the city -- presumably to ensure independent decision-making -- state Rep. Keith Stallworth, D-Detroit, urged Snyder to select someone intimate with the city's problems.

"I don't believe an emergency manager is in our best interests," Stallworth said. "But if the governor decides to go that route, he should pick someone who knows what has happened. ...Detroiters know we've reached a crisis, and we know that in order to get out of it, we need support from and cooperation among the governor, the Legislature and the mayor."

But Detroit resident Tierra Wakefield, 24, said she doesn't want an emergency manager to make decisions for the city. While waiting for a bus Monday night, Wakefield said she would be concerned an emergency manager could reduce public transportation and other services.

"Somebody may come and make those decisions, but where does that leave us?" Wakefield said. "With an emergency manager so many things get cut off."